Orchestrating Smarter AI Systems with AI21 Labs’ Yoav Shoham | AI Basics with Google Cloud

In this episode of AI Basics, Jason sits down with Yoav Shoham — Stanford professor emeritus and co-founder of AI21 Labs, creators of Jurassic-2, Wordtune, and the new orchestration system Maestro.They unpack:Why enterprise AI struggles with reliabilityWhat orchestration really means (and why LLMs alone aren't enough)The pitfalls of “agent-washing”Small vs large models, agent-to-agent protocols, and where real opportunities lieThis one is for founders building with AI — if you're navigating hallucinations, chasing automation, or exploring multi-agent workflows, this episode is a must.*Timestamps:(0:00) Yoav Shoham joins Jason to discuss AI Basics.(1:05) What AI21 Labs is building — from Jurassic-2 to Maestro(5:49) The overuse and confusion of the seductive term “agent”(8:22) Small models vs large models: what's best for enterprise?(10:53) The verticalization of AI: legal, accounting, and beyond(12:17) The challenge of agent-to-agent communication and shared semantics(17:08) What’s overhyped vs underhyped in AI — Yoav’s advice for founders*Uncover more valuable insights from AI leaders in Google Cloud's 'Future of AI: Perspectives for Startups' report. https://goo.gle/futureofai*Explore FurtherGoogle Cloud’s Report: The Future of AIGet insights from 23 leading experts on how startups can leverage AI for real business impact.👉 Read the full reportMore AI Basics EpisodesFounders, operators, and builders — catch up on our full Startup Basics series (Legal, Finance, Growth & AI):👉 thisweekinstartups.com/basicsLinks from episde:Google Cloud — Build smarter with AI tools built for startupsAI21 Labs — Makers of Wordtune, Jurassic-2, and MaestroMaestro — Orchestrate AI agents and tools across workflowsJamba — AI21’s hybrid language model with breakthrough efficiencyLearn About Google’s A2A (Agent-to-Agent) ProtocolThe next evolution in agent interoperability and coordination:Official A2A AnnouncementHands-on A2A Tutorial (Medium)*Follow Yoav:X: https://x.com/yshohamLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yoavshoham/*Follow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis*Follow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com